Few travelers are willing to take international trips amid the coronavirus outbreak, and one travel expert said the loss of revenue could lead to the shuttering of several airlines.
“We’re seeing some flight capacity cuts,” reminiscent of what happened after Sept. 11, CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg told WTOP.
People don’t want to travel over large bodies of water, so they’re staying home and traveling within 300 to 500 miles of where they live, Greenberg said. Therefore, international trips are being sacrificed the most.
The International Air Transport Association estimates the total loss suffered by air carriers from the global outbreak could total approximately $113 billion.
“We could lose more airlines” — not just through bankruptcy, but liquidation, according to Greenberg.
To combat the loss of revenue, some airlines, hotels and restaurants are offering deep discounts and deals, like round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii for only $99 or from Boston to London for $250.
“If you’re a responsible traveler, you practice basic hygiene protocols. This is a wonderful win-win for you on a global scale,” Greenberg said.
But what about those travelers with plans to attend a conference that got canceled?
Greenberg said the waivers to cancel without penalty some airlines are currently offering are only for tickets that were purchased a few days ago.
But many people don’t buy airline tickets that way. Some people bought their tickets months ago.
“The only thing you can hope for is to put yourself at the mercy of a supervisor at the airline, and if you don’t like what you get on the first call, call again because this is a hardship situation,” Greenberg said.
“You just can’t cancel because you don’t want to go, but if your convention canceled, if the hotel’s basically closing down, somebody’s got to get some common sense here and realize that they got to do the right thing.”
But remember, if you bought a nonrefundable discount ticket on a low-fare airline, it’s within the airline’s rights not to give you a refund.
